In William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar," Mark Antony delivers a powerful and persuasive speech that serves as a masterclass in rhetorical techniques. Antony's speech takes place after the assassination of Julius Caesar, and he uses his oratory skills to sway the Roman people to his side and turn them against the conspirators. The first technique that Antony employs in his speech is the use of ethos. Ethos refers to the credibility and trustworthiness of the speaker. Antony establishes his credibility by reminding the people that he is a loyal friend of Caesar and that he is not there to praise Caesar's assassins. By doing so, Antony positions himself as an impartial and trustworthy source of information. Antony also uses pathos in his speech, appealing to the emotions of the Roman people. He …show more content…
He repeats phrases and words throughout his speech, which helps to reinforce his message and make it more memorable. One of the most famous examples of repetition in Antony's speech is the phrase "Brutus is an honorable man." Antony uses this phrase several times, but with increasing sarcasm and irony, to show the crowd that Brutus is not, in fact, honorable. Antony also uses logos, or logical appeals, in his speech. He presents evidence to support his arguments, such as the will that Caesar left behind in which he bequeaths his wealth to the Roman people. Antony uses this evidence to demonstrate that Caesar was not the tyrant that his assassins claimed him to be, but rather a benevolent leader who cared for the welfare of the Roman people. Finally, Antony uses rhetorical devices such as irony and sarcasm to undermine the credibility of Caesar's assassins. For example, he points out that Caesar's wounds were inflicted by the very people who claimed to be his friends and that they did so for "the general good." By using irony and sarcasm, Antony exposes the hypocrisy and falsehood of the conspirators'